Entertainment

2014 World Cup in Brazil Already Going Social and Mobile

The 2014 World Cup in Brazil is still some 27 months away, but the event is already taking steps into the mobile and social arenas.

FIFA — international soccer's governing body — announced on Wednesday the launch of a new YouTube channel it will begin to populate with highlights, features and action from past World Cups in the run-up to Brazil 2014. The channel is called FIFA TV. Posts so far include a highlight reel of Argentine star Lionel Messi from World Cup 2010 in South Africa, clips from the Under-20 World Cup last summer, and a welcome video.

“FIFA is keen to engage with football fans beyond our competitions by sharing our rich visual content with them, and for this there is no better platform in terms of reach and penetration than YouTube,” said FIFA President Sepp Blatter said in a press release. “We want to provide YouTube users with the greatest moments of FIFA World Cup history but also invite them to share theirs with us.”

The channel will add shows documenting preparations for the 2014 tournament, stream live media events and recap international matches. FIFA says it also plans to include user-generated content, but how exactly that will be integrated has not yet been made public.

Last Friday, Brazil's national tourism board launched a mobile game app aiming to help familiarize potential visitors with the 12 cities that will host World Cup matches in 2014. Called Brasil Quest, the app is a free download for iPhone, iPad and Android devices. It follows the journey of an alien named Yep who travels from outer space to Brazil and visits the 12 host cities.

New Yorkers with some free time Thursday afternoon can check out a demo of the game and potentially win a trip to Brazil. From Noon to 5 p.m. at the northwest corner of 45th Street and Broadway, players can play the game on a large screen in Times Square. The top three players will win a trip for two to Rio de Janeiro, Salvador or Manaus, which are among of Brazil's most popular travel destinations.

Do you think this is a good start to the World Cup's social and mobile push? Let us know in the comments.

Mashable
is a global, multi-platform media and entertainment company. Powered by its own proprietary technology, Mashable is the go-to source for tech, digital culture and entertainment content for its dedicated and influential audience around the globe.